Currently, when receiving a video file from an online video streaming service, a mobile terminal may decode the video file by using a software decoding method or a hardware decoding method, and then play the decoded video file. In the software decoding method, a software decoder uses a central processing unit (CPU) to invoke a software program to decode the video stream in the video file. In the hardware decoding method, a hardware decoder uses a graphics processing unit (GPU) to decode the video stream in the video file.